Transcript: April 10 - 16

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the second week of April. We’re your hosts, Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
The Hyades is a star cluster named after the daughters of Atlas and they are also the sisters of the Pleiades.

RACHEL
The brightest star appearing in the Hyades star cluster is called Aldebaran.

PAUL
However, Aldebaran is not actually a part of the cluster.

RACHEL
That’s right; it’s a foreground star.

PAUL
The Hyades, which is the closest star cluster to the sun is 151 light years away...

RACHEL
...while Aldebaran is only 65 light years away.

PAUL
The moon appears very close to Aldebaran on the evening of the 10th.

RACHEL
The distance between then is so close that you’ll be able to see both the crescent Moon and Aldebaran together in a pair of binoculars.

PAUL
Looking for Gemini the Twins?

RACHEL
On the evening of the 12th, you’ll find the moon at the feet of Gemini.

PAUL
Hey, Gemini and the moon reminds me of a footballer kicking a soccer ball.

RACHEL
But Gemini only resembles the footballer from the waist down.

PAUL
In other words, the Gemini Twins represents the player’s legs and waist.

RACHEL
There are two bright stars at the player’s hips.

PAUL
The star at the top left is Pollux and the star at the top right is slightly fainter Castor.

RACHEL
Speaking of the moon, it reaches first quarter phase on the 13th.

PAUL
That’s the half full phase.

RACHEL
And it means if you want to see the most spectacular views of the moon, it won’t get any better than on the night of the 13th.

PAUL
So get your binoculars out and scan along the edge of the moon.

RACHEL
Some of the best lunar views occur at first quarter because the moon’s terminator, or boundary between day and night, faces directly towards Earth.

PAUL
At the break of lunar day, shadows cast by the sun stretch their longest across the lunar surface.

RACHEL
And since the lunar terminator is turned directly towards Earth, we see the shadows cast by the sun fully stretched out.

PAUL
This means we see the maximum amount of crater and mountain details through telescopes, spotting scopes, and even binoculars.

RACHEL
The next night, or the 14th, the moon passes an attractive star cluster.

PAUL
The star cluster’s name is the Beehive and it’s just five degrees above the moon.

RACHEL
That distance is just right for most binoculars.

PAUL
Meaning if you place the moon at the bottom of the binoculars' field of view, the Beehive will appear just at the top.

RACHEL
However, your best view of the Beehive occurs when you raise the binoculars high enough to get the moon out of the field of view.

PAUL
...and place the Beehive in the center of view.

RACHEL
Now here’s an old astronomy trick for observing the Beehive.

PAUL
Instead of looking directly at it, try looking at it with the edge of your vision.

RACHEL
While the center of your vision is most capable of seeing details...

PAUL
...your peripheral vision is best at detecting faint light.

RACHEL
Astronomers call this method using averted vision.

PAUL
Using averted vision, you should be able to detect even more stars.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the second week of April. Next week the Jovian satellite Ganymede comes out of hiding.

PAUL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com.

For Idaho Skies this is Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.